FACTBOX-What happens in a U.S. government shutdown?

01/19/2018 21:35

(Adds details from call with senior administration officials)

Jan 19 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and the U.S.
Congress are racing to meet a midnight Friday deadline to pass a
short-term bill to keep the U.S. government open and prevent
agencies from shutting down.

In shutdowns, nonessential government employees are
furloughed, or placed on temporary unpaid leave. Workers deemed
essential, including those dealing with public safety and
national security, keep working.

After previous government shutdowns, Congress passed
measures to ensure that all unpaid workers received retroactive
pay. The Trump administration would support a similar measure, a
senior administration official said on Friday.

Workers began finding out on Friday whether they would be
furloughed, but official notices would come as early as
Saturday. They would receive their last paycheck for work up
until the shutdown on Friday Jan. 26.

The last shutdown, in October 2013, lasted more than two
weeks and more than 800,000 federal employees were furloughed.
There is no official tally of how many would be off work this
time. Here are some details about what happened in 2013, along
with some recent updates from officials:

MILITARY: The Defense Department said on Friday that a
shutdown would not affect the U.S. military's war in Afghanistan
or its operations against Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria.
All 1.3 million military personnel on active duty would remain
on normal duty status. Civilian personnel in nonessential
operations would be furloughed. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis
said a sustained funding impasse would cause ships to go without
maintenance and aircraft to be grounded.

JUSTICE: The Justice Department has many essential workers.
Under its shutdown contingency plan, about 95,000 of the
department's almost 115,000 staff would keep working.

FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT: The stock market-policing Securities
and Exchange Commission funds itself by collecting fees from the
financial industry, but its budget is set by Congress. It has
said in the past it would be able to continue operations
temporarily in a shutdown. But it would have to furlough workers
if Congress went weeks before approving new funding.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, meanwhile, would
have to furlough 95 percent of its employees immediately. An
agency spokeswoman said the derivatives regulator could,
however, call in additional staff in the event of a financial
market emergency.

WHITE HOUSE: More than 1,000 of the 1,715 staff at the White
House would be furloughed, the Trump administration said on
Friday. The president would be provided with enough support to
carry out his constitutional duties, including staff needed for
a planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, administration officials said.

NATIONAL PARKS: The Trump administration plans to keep
national parks open with rangers and security guards on duty.
The parks were closed in 2013 and it resulted in a loss of
750,000 daily visitors, said the nonprofit National Parks
Conservation Association. The National Park Service (NPS)
estimated the shutdown resulted in $500 million in lost visitor
spending in areas around the parks and the Smithsonian museums.

WASHINGTON TOURIST SIGHTS: In 2013, popular tourist sites
such as the Smithsonian closed, with barricades going up at the
Lincoln Memorial, the Library of Congress and the National
Archives. The Trump administration does not plan to barricade
open-air monuments this time, officials said. The Smithsonian
has said its museums could remain open for the first weekend.
The NPS, which oversees many Washington landmarks, including the
National Mall, has said it has a plan in place so that "First
Amendment activities" can continue during a shutdown.

TAXES: The Internal Revenue Service furloughed 90 percent of
its staff in 2013, the liberal Center for American Progress
said. About $4 billion in tax refunds were delayed as a result,
according to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

MAIL DELIVERY: Deliveries would continue as usual because
the U.S. Postal Service receives no tax dollars for day-to-day
operations.

TRAVEL: Air and rail travelers did not feel a big impact in
2013 because security officers and air traffic controllers
remained at work. Passport processing continued with some
delays.

COURTS: The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has
said federal courts, including the Supreme Court, could continue
to operate normally for about three weeks without additional
funding.

HEALTHCARE: In 2013, the Medicare health insurance program
for the elderly continued largely without disruption. Hundreds
of patients could not enroll in National Institutes of Health
clinical trials, according to the OMB. A program at the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track flu
outbreaks was temporarily halted in 2013. This time, the CDC
will continue its work to track the flu outbreak, an official
said.

CHILDREN: Six Head Start programs in Alabama, Connecticut,
Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina serving about
6,300 children shut for nine days in 2013, the OMB said.

SOCIAL SECURITY: Social Security and disability checks were
issued in 2013 with no change in payment dates and field offices
remained open but offered limited services. There were delays in
the review process for new applicants.

LOANS: Processing of mortgages and other loans was delayed
when lenders could not access government services such as income
and Social Security number verification. The Small Business
Administration was unable to process about 700 applications for
$140 million in loans until the shutdown ended, OMB said.

VETERANS: Most employees at the Department of Veterans
Affairs would not be subject to furlough. VA hospitals would
remain open and veterans' benefits would continue, but education
assistance and case appeals would be delayed, the department
said.

ENERGY: The Department of Energy said on Friday that since
most of its appropriations are for multiple years, employees
should report to work as normal during a shutdown until told
otherwise. If there was a prolonged lapse in funding a "limited
number" of workers may be placed on furlough.
(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago, Amanda Becker,
Sarah N. Lynch, Idrees Ali, Valerie Volcovici and Mary Milliken
in Washington; Editing by Susan Thomas, Steve Orlofsky and
Daniel Wallis)